Head to Foot the human body is a marvel. Sculpting the face, which has 43 muscles, is a challenge that Ray has taken on. Here is his bust of a girl done in clay which will eventually be cast in bronze. Working with clay to achieve the desired expression of a face is a monumental task. Ray, being a meticulous workman, works and re-works the clay in an effort to reach his final goal. The slightest change of how a muscle is shaped produces an entirely different expression on the face of the young woman. Very tricky !!

Best Foot Forward by R. DeCatur

Amazingly, the foot has 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Here is a foot done by Ray.

The art of casting metal sculpture dates back into ancient times but we have few examples since metal was melted down and reused for war and farm implements. In The 1900’s it became popular due to the Industrial Revolution which provided new tools for the foundry ( a workshop for cast metal). It was the rage to immortalize warriors, statesmen and writers with a statue in their honor. Today there are a few foundries still in the United States, one of which is the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where Ray cast his foot in bronze.

Separating the adjoining studio from hers is a curtain/banner of Joseph Cornell working in his studio. Her work references his.

Julie Nelson-Gal Sculpture

The beautiful. delicate sculpture incorporates the hair of a friend, feathers, and found objects.

Julie Nelson-Gal Collage

Julie Nelson-Gal Collage

Collage and printmaking are combined.

The artist statement Julie has on her website ( www.julienelsongal.com ) talks of her lifelong interest in photography.

Human habits, memories, and how objects communicate their former functions inform her work. Of course, the objects must also have aesthetic potential to be included in her combined collage/printmaking work. A keen intelligence is at work here!

Here is the corner of my studio dedicated to the idea of palms … great colors and very sharp spines up and down the stem.

Mary P Williams “Palms”

“Palms” Detail

“Palms” Zoom Detail

Gingerly is the way to handle the fronds. In the wind they spiral down to clonk you on the head … when they are covered with ice they fall from 30 feet up and impale flowers, dogs, and people. Wear a hat!

In the last four years that I have been in the Rio Grande Valley two years had a couple days of icy weather. We cover all the flowers and shrubs with plastic and cross our fingers. As dawn rises the palms are coated in ice and shine and sparkle. As the sun comes up the ice coating begins to slide off the palms as they are 40 feet in the air and then watch out!! A sliver of ice could be six inches long and sharp as a knife … it simulates the edges of the palm frond. How exhilarating to watch them descend as you hop around to avoid a hit!

Here is Bill Killough with his intricate little house … of course we all see it as a “hobbit house” after being inundated with “Lord of the Rings” and Disney. The interior spiral staircase is a marvel … I am charmed!

Craft is defined as “skill in making things by hand” or “an occupation requiring manual dexterity or artistic skill.” As I turn his carvings in my hands I wonder … what is the difference between art and craft? His attention to detail and perception of space is excellent. Art, per Wikipedia, is “the product or process of deliberately arranging items (often of symbolic significance) in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect.”

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy says “The definition of art is controversial in contemporary philosophy … (a branch of philosophy known as aesthetics).” Holding the “hobbit house” and feeling the wood, the way the knife has gouged its way in feathered strokes, it appears to me that there is minimal difference between “art” and “craft” … Bill has his own aesthetic.

Bill Killough "Hobbit House"

Looking carefully at his face and his carvings, you can see his Philosophy of Life!

In the last few days an assignment from Dr. Pace to go to the South Texas Museum of History in Edinburg and select an object to base a 3D sculpture on. In front of the Museum is an old windmill of the type used so long in Texas. So I drew it … I photographed it … I tried to see how it was constructed to resist the strong winds in the Texas landscape. It was sturdy.

Mary P Williams "Windmill"

Here it is! Made with dried palm fronds and the acorns from an oak tree … it was a struggle but worth the effort.